NORMAN — South Carolina turned Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium into a Halloween house of horrors. 

The Sooners were run off their home field 42-25 by the Gamecocks for the second time in the last three seasons, and Brent Venables can’t even hang his hat on an outstanding defensive display. 

Shane Beamer’s outfit outclassed OU in virtually every way, as Oklahoma was essentially drawing dead after trailing 28-10 at halftime. 

Beamer’s last trip to Norman represented the final game for Seth Littrell as offensive coordinator, and Venables will again face some difficult decisions with a month left in the 2026 campaign.  

Here are three quick takeaways from Saturday’s contest.

It’s Time for a Change

The student section made their feelings known in the second quarter. A loud “Fire Arbuckle” chant broke out, aimed at OU’s offensive coordinator, and the north end zone of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium quickly joined in before music was ramped up in the stadium to drown out the crowd. 

Perhaps student sections aren’t the greatest barometer, as they can turn quickly, but OU’s student section proved correct when Caleb Williams replaced Spencer Rattler in 2022, and they’re on the right side of history now. 

Ben Arbuckle’s group followed last weekend’s outing — which was imperfect but improved — with a dreadful showing. 

At halftime, the Sooners had posted just 71 yards of total offense while posting 54 penalty yards. Quarterback John Mateer completed 7-of-12 passes for 25 yards, and reverted back to the guy who consistently looked off open receivers as he failed to process the game at the level needed to play in the SEC. 

When the offense did produce something positive, it was generally negated by a procedural penalty or a holding infraction. 

The incompetence was only amplified by South Carolina’s ability to put up 307 yards on OU’s defense before halftime. 

Perhaps no moment displayed Arbuckle’s shortcomings more than the first series of the second half, however. 

The Sooners rushed for eight yards on the first play out of the locker room, then Arbuckle dialed up a completion to Manny Choice for zero yards. 

On third down, Mateer could have put the ball on Mackenzie Alleyne as he broke toward the sideline to move the chains. 

Instead, Arbuckle’s quarterback pupil of the last four years held onto the ball, ate a sack, and Venables again sent his punt unit out to kick the ball away. 

Handing playcalling duties over to Kevin Wilson or another member of the staff may not help things in November, but it would at least allow the Sooners to get a head start on the necessary offensive coordinator search that will need to take place this offseason. 

Tackling Issues Re-emerge

South Carolina’s first offensive snap of the game was the canary in the coal mine. 

Running back Matt Fuller bounced off would-be tacklers to pick up 14 yards. 

Though the Gamecocks eventually punted, it set the tone for a dismal day. 

LaNorris Sellers rushed for 96 yards and two scores on 13 carries to lead South Carolina to 212 rushing yards.

The Gamecock quarterback also added three touchdowns through the air, including a beautiful 84-yard bomb to DJ Black and a 79-yard connection with Mazeo Bennett Jr. after spinning out of pressure, operating the offense at ease while OU’s offense was flagged for two false starts, two illegal formations and an illegal motion. 

South Carolina finished with 521 total yards, the most allowed by Oklahoma since Texas racked up 527 total yards of offense in 2023.

Turnovers Unable to Save OU

Venables often uses the turnover margin as a crutch after tough losses. 

He won’t be able to point in that direction after the loss. 

OU actually won the turnover margin 3-0. Linebacker Kip Lewis was in the right place after freshman defensive end Jake Kreul pressured Sellers. Lewis picked off the South Carolina quarterback and ran 30 yards for his third-career Pick Six, which tied a program record. 

Safety Michael Boganowski doubled the turnover advantage with a second-half interception, and for all that went wrong with the offense, they actually kept hold of the football. 

Freshman Markel Ford added a pick of his own in garbage time to add another to the tally.

Saturday marked OU’s third loss despite winning the turnover battle in the Venables era. Both of those other defeats — losses to West Virginia and Texas Tech — both occurred in the disastrous 2022 season.